The Florence

The place is great and the food is phenomenal but the kitchen/​management has extremely poor food management. We come in all the time and on busy weekends they tend to run out of food items on the menu. I mean, someone with a common sense needs to estimate, busy days or weekends and food availability. It is very disappointing that you make a reservation, you come in, wait for your seat, and when seated they tell you they ran out of things. This is the second time it has happened to us and we come in very often. The Florence, get your shit together.

We have been here on multiple occasions and every time the food has been outstanding. The serves are friendly and the ambience is nice as well. We will be back

Best of Italian Restaurant in town!
But the only problem is it is a very long time until the food comes carried. I want to avoid going to dinner on the weekend.

My husband and I went to The Florence to celebrate our anniversary and my birthday. We were so excited to try this restaurant, and it did not disappoint. Our waiter was wonderful, giving us recommendations for craft made cocktails, wine, and menu items. Service was definitely five stars! They congratulated us and even gave me my first cocktail on the house!
We ordered the bread plate, the octopus, the Brussels pizza, and egg-​told ravioli. Everything was unbelievable! The octopus appetizer was spicy, but an awesome start to our meal. The ravioli is served in this really «homey» broth. And, when you cut open the pasta, the egg-​yolk mixes with the broth and it’s delicious. I could eat that every day! We even saved some bread from our bread plate (our waiter’s recommendation) to dip into the broth!
For dessert we got the Panna Cotta, which was to die for. It was so light and refreshing. It wasn’t heavy or too rich, which after the amount of food we ate, was the perfect way to end our meal!
I would definitely recommend this restaurant, for a date night or special occasion! The service and food are so great! My husband and I will be back again!

I received mixed reviews from friends about this place, but I had to try it for myself! I went with a large group on Saturday and we were all VERY happy with our food and drinks. The serving sizes are smaller than normal but they are just enough. The wine selection was good and the environment was very nice. We will go back.

Came for lunch on a Sunday afternoon and set outside with our dog; awesome large wood tables. Our waiter, Michael, was attentive, knowledgable and fun.
Coffee was amazing!
We both had the salad, one with trout and the other with egg whites (I know!), both delicious. The Brussel ricotta pizza was dynamite!
The lemon curd doughnut holes made me cry.

New Years Eve dinner was here this year with my husband and some close friends who recently relocated to Savannah. We were seated on the top level near the bar and there were very few other diners there. The food was good but I would not say spectacular for the price. On the positive side the chef was able to offer a unique vegan kale pizza for me which was good. The service was below average at best. Our server was a bit overwhelmed (or maybe not well trained) and could not seem to absorb our appetizer order. She confused who ordered which then she wasted an entire salad on me by bringing one covered in cheese and bacon after I explained I followed a vegan lifestyle. She brought a main course dish to one of our friends that he did not even order. Like many other reviews time between order and delivery was way too long. We plan to try the restaurant again when we return hoping this was an off night.

Went on NYE. Seemed to have hit a good time where we were in between rushes. Craft cocktails were enjoyed by all, and the draft beer selection was good. Two rounds of bruchetta were destroyed and the one with smoked trout bested the pork belly one. Party of four we had two plates of the sorghum and pecan ribs, egg yolk ravioli and a vegetarian pizza. The ribs were the standout for me and paired with a Service Oyster Stout, I felt I won best plate/​drink combo, the pizza was fantastic with arugula and Brussels we minused the prosciutto to make it veg friendly. Didn’t hear too much about the ravioli. Service was good and Hugh made a couple visits to our table.

ok I’m back for a second go, this time brunch. same lack of vegetarian fare, brutally old coffee, but much improved service. I’m going with ricotta and Brussels pizza… more to come… ok — there’s no Brussels sprouts to be found on here, there is some kind of parsley tasting leaves all over it that look like arugula, but it’s not. there is plenty of ricotta, the crust is good. ok now the service is lagging… my coffee has been empty for 5 minutes. ok now I’m done with this 17 $ 12″ «cheese pizza» masquerading as a Brussels sprouts and ricotta masterpiece and I just want my check. there’s annoying kids right next to me playing Legos. two strikes, Florence.

Very cool building and décor in this trendy place. Their menu was creative and interesting, with some really wild stuff on it. All the food was delicious — the calzone is a pretty good deal (it’s huge) and the whole yolk ravioli was a cool new dish for us. We had good service and good drinks and the ambiance was spot on.
The location and parking are a bit confusing — use the attached lot for One West Victory (there are designated Florence spots there).
Also a tad pricey, but we took advantage of the awesome 50% off Veteran’s Day discount so no complaints from us! Thanks for doing that, Florence.

I’ve been to The Florence a couple of times now — and made a diverted stop at the coffee shop when passing through Savannah. My first visit was earlier this summer, but I remember it like it was yesterday.
Since I was dining for one, I chose to sit at the pizza bar. My only complaint about the pizza bar is you really can’t see what’s going on behind the bar thanks to the high half-​wall. So I had to find other ways to keep myself occupied — reading the menu & drinks thoroughly was one of them. Luke was my server for the evening & he was excellent. I had previously noticed in several of the reviews the mention of slow or not so great service. I had none of those issues. I maybe noticed the gap between dishes because I was by myself and didn’t have someone to talk to while passing the time. However sending pictures of my cheese plate to my jealous husband was entertaining.
For my first visit I tried two cocktails, enjoyed the cheese plate and indulged with the Black Bucatini pasta. The cocktails were made with a strong hand & definitely garnered the price they had on the menu. The Expat and the She Nighter One Devil were a great way to kick off my little overnight trip in this gorgeous southern city. To nibble on I went with the Formaggio cheese plate and for my main entrée the Black Bucatini pasta caught my eye. The cheeses were mostly — if not all — local to Georgia. They were all creamy & indulgent. Each paired well with the accoutrements as well. A cheese knife of some sort would have been helpful. No cheese utensils led to inappropriate consuming of the milk byproduct from my knife. The cheese (with honey and/​or jam) stuck nicely to the thin utensil, so I had a make it work moment. The pasta followed soon after and the aroma filled my inhaling nostrils: spices & flavors awaiting my fork. The pasta was al dente, the prawns were fresh, the spices were aplenty. I would easily order this dish every time I’m in the restaurant. While I wasn’t really craving dessert, they had a watermelon sorbet that had just made it’s first appearance that night and I’m so glad I didn’t pass on that one.
My next visit back was for a day trip with my husband. Unfortunately, my pre-​planning wasn’t as good as I thought so our visit took an interesting turn. We arrived for brunch but were quickly reminded we were in the South when we were told no boozy brunch beverages until after 12:30. Considering it was on ten minutes after 11, it wasn’t going to be possible to wait this one out, so we had to come up with a Plan B. Since we went in with plans to split a pizza, we decided to stick with that. We split the Pork Belly + Egg pizza, but that’s not where this story ends. We paid our bill and doddled around Savannah until we were able to come back and order an adult beverage. So yes, we dined twice in one day at the same restaurant. For our 2^nd visit, I went with the Johnny Cakes. These fluffy little cakes filled my belly quite nicely for the journey home. And the bacon! My husband was hoping I would share, but that didn’t happen. It was cut thick and crisped up just right with the perfect amount of chew. It’s hard to put into words the perfect slice of bacon, but when you get one you just know. The servers were very accommodating to our crazy whims and had fun laughing at the antiquated laws right along with us.
Typically when I take a day trip out of Jacksonville it’s 2 ½ hours south, but I’ll have to remember to turn my car around and go the other way from time to time.

I had the opportunity to dine here a few months ago when the place was really hyped up.
I can say that it did not live up to the hype. Nothing on the menu really appealed to me and after a pricey cocktail and poor service (20 minutes between drink order and delivery) it was time to go.
Overall, I have no intention on going back if I have the choice. If someone else makes the decision I would give it a second chance.

The Food is great. We sat at the bar and had pizza, great crust and fresh toppings. It was fun to chat with the bartenders. The experience was ruined by the horrible hostess. No idea if this is a policy of the restaurant, but having to wait for a seat considering that the dining room is empty is absolutely unacceptable. We ended up at the bar which was perfectly fine. The dinning room stayed empty.
In addition she was not at the entry and people had to wait until someone showed up to greet them.
This wasn’t the first time for us at the restaurant, every single time we have been there there has been an issue with the hostess. I can just assume that is on purpose, although it doesn’t make any sense.

The upstairs deck is fantastic when it’s nice out. Brunch on Sunday is a great addition and you can get away without paying an arm and a leg. Food is always delicious and the ambiance is dreamy. We’ve always had great service too.

The Florence has been open a year and it is a go-​to restaurant in the artsy Starland area of Savannah. I am on a budget, so I can’t afford a full meal there. However, I did order the trout bruschetta which was generous and delicious.
The trout bruschetta has radicchio and a tiny potato chip on top. It’s a nice sized appetizer. Also, the beer, wine and cocktails are great.

Perhaps this place is the place that summarizes the new face to Savannah. I didn’t know what to expect. The waitress — Janine — was so helpful in our selection. Additionally, when we finally go our food, it was quite visually appealing — in fact, I had a hard time eating it. The most innovative ravioli that I have ever had… ever. The taste was so different, I got to enjoy every single bite. We decided to proceed with the Peach Bruchetta — the taste was ineffable. If you want to finish your meal with a desert, get the Watermelon Sorbet, you will not regret it.
Thrown away by this place… best find. I was a bit scared though as a person eating right by me had a loaded weapon. Scary.

Super chill. Two of us got: Peach bruschetta (peaches were good — Georgia), sardine bruschetta (romesco sauce was good), Tomatoes were good, egg ravioli (prosciutto puff and broth), bucatini (shrimp heads were great), formaggio.
Would come again.

The good: the food! Honestly, we ordered a ton of food and everything was well thought out and executed, not to mention delicious! Some people in my party thought some of the portions were small, but I think they had just come from Paula Deen’s restaurant…
The space is also beautiful. We were seated on the 2^nd floor, huge ceilings and a great patio (though too hot to be out there). I think I would have preferred the ambiance and energy of the 1^st floor, but I understand that we were a big party and perhaps couldn’t fit downstairs.
The bad:
The service was honestly so weird and terrible. Our waiter was clearly overwhelmed, or more likely, wasn’t trained in fine dining, where the service needs to live up to the prices. First of all, our food and drinks took FOREVER. Im talking over an hour for some appetizers. Again, if the kitchen was backed up or overwhelmed, you’de expect some communication. Nada. Most high end places will have a manager come over and send some bread (at this point it is 9:45 and none of us had eaten a bite) or perhaps comp a round of drinks for our inconvenience. In fact, we never once saw a manager the whole night. We were celebrating a bachelorette party, brought A LOT of business to the place, so at least an acknowledgment would have been welcome.
Another gripe: they were apparently out of bread. A few of the entrees were soupy type things, perfect for dipping bread in. But no, sorry we are out. WHAT? It was very weird.
Unfortunately we didnt get to try the dessert because we had a whole night ahead of us and couldnt risk another half hour of our precious time in savannah.
Oh, and there was an automatic 20% gratuity added to the bill. Now im a good tipper (always at least 20%) but this was ridiculous and presumptuous and, again had we not been in a rush, i would have disputed this auto charge.
In summary, i would say search elsewhere in Savannah if you want a special meal. I personally spent over $ 70 on just myself, and the whole experience just didnt match up to that steep amount.

Went here for a nice evening out. We started with the pork belly bruschetta and beer flight. They were both great.
I got a pasta dish with shrimp and clams. The pasta was BLACK which is interesting but difficult to put in your mouth without gagging. Speaking of gagging I swallowed part of the sharp shrimp leg that got away from its body in the sauce. The owner of Florence is probably reading this thinking ‘I wish you would have choked and died on that leg’.
My husband got a pizza which was.. . you know, a pizza.
We had a cannoli and coffee from their shop for dessert which was alright but they messed up my drink :(. I asked for a WET cappuccino (because that’s the only drink that comes in a 8oz cup) and I got a 12oz latte on the foamy side. If I wanted a latte I would have asked for one. But yeah.
Anyway I’d go again if I was going to get a steak or something. It just did not live up to the hype, or the décor for that matter.
The server was great and I loved that water container they leave at your table. Nice touch.

Loved this new joint. Sustainable architecture as you walk in. I’ve been watching this place being built over the last year and have been really impressed. There are three bars to sit at. Two are downstairs. Of those, one is a pizza bar, where you can watch the cooks prepare calzones and fresh pies, the other you can mingle as your martinis are expertly crafted.
Upstairs is worth checking out. William will masterly prepare any drink of choice. Mine was the Sazerac. They have quite a few Rye Whiskeys to choose from. Super tasty. There is also an outside deck with umbrellas and picnic tables overlooking Victory Street and Whitaker #chill.
Friendly staff and knowledgeable… or if they don’t know the answer, they go find it for you. I’ve been here twice now. Downstairs at the main bar and upstairs as well. The food is explosive in flavor. The calzone has some fire to it and is large enough for two!
So far, I’m really impressed. I’d recommend this place for a date or if you feel like dressing up a little and mingling with friends at one of the three bars and perhaps meet someone new. It’s not a stuffy atmosphere at all. Very laid back and open.
I’ll be back.